The present invention relates to the discovery of a new and distinct cultivar of half-high blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium×corymbosum hybrid) and referred to as ‘ZF06-179’, as herein described and illustrated.
The new blueberry plant variety ‘ZF06-179’ was selected in Lowell, Oreg. in 2006. ‘ZF06-179’ is a cold hardy ornamental variety intended for nursery, landscape, and home garden use. The variety has a dwarf growing habit with attractive foliage that is light green with red tips throughout the growing season, turning to yellow and red in the fall. ‘ZF06-179’ ripens in mid-July and produces high quality, medium sized fruit. The plant has an estimated chilling requirement of 1000-1200 hours.
Pedigree and History: The new blueberry plant originated from a 2003 controlled cross pollination of ‘Tophat’ (pollen parent, unpatented) by ‘Polaris’ (female parent, unpatented). The seedling was first selected from a high density field planting in the summer of 2006 at which time it was propagated by softwood cuttings. The selection was planted in replication in a test field in Lowell, Oreg. in the fall of 2007. Test plots were also established in Benton and Whatcom Counties in Washington, and in Kern and Ventura Counties in California in 2009. These plots have been observed carefully (from flowering through fruit ripening, leaf senescence and dormancy each year) and no mutations of off-type plants have been observed.
The new variety can be compared to unpatented male parent ‘Tophat’ in that ‘ZF06-179’ is more compact, and has red color on the tips of the leaves during the growing season.
The new variety can be compared to the unpatented female parent ‘Polaris’ in that ‘ZF06-179’ is a dwarf, bears smaller fruit, and has smaller, red tipped leaves.
The new variety can be compared to ‘Chippewa’, a cold hardy, half high variety. ‘ZF06-179’ differs from ‘Chippewa’ in that it is smaller in size, has smaller fruit and has red color on the tips of the leaves during the growing season.
The new blueberry plant variety ‘ZF06-179’ has maintained its distinguishing characteristics throughout successive asexual propagations. The variety has been repeatedly asexually reproduced through softwood cuttings in Lowell, Oreg., and the clones are phenotypically identical to the original plant.